Details

• Spain
• MAWiRe-21
• Graduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

The application process at WU is quite easy and well described online. It's just important to check the deadlines since they are strict and kinda early already. You can also inform yourself about the partner universities online and get a good overview of the offered options and also if there might be any language certificates needed. Preparation for going abroad is also kinda easy when staying within the EU. Make sure you don't miss any deadlines for the Erasmus Grant. Further, all I needed was an accommodation and the flight to Madrid. The Austrian E-Card is accepted by the University as an health insurance document and grants access to necessary medical treatment in Spain. Once you are nominated by WU you'll receive E-Mails from Comillas with all the information you need about course selection, starting date, language course, etc... . I thought everything was managed very well.

2. Accommodation

I lived in a shared flat with three spanish roommates. I was lucky because I got the room through a friend of a friend, so I never really had to search for a room. Anyways I had a lot of friends who found their flat through Idealista, Housing Anywhere or one of the platforms in the infosheet the university will provide. At least from my experience, no one I know got scammed, but still you should be careful when searching via those platforms. Especially if there are windows in the room and the actual size of the room, etc. Since the housing market is kinda though in Madrid, I'd recommend to start looking early (3-4 months in advance). My flat was located in Chamberí within 10 minutes walking to the university. I loved living there since it's a very local and student-friendly neighborhood with a lot of bars, stores and restaurants - literally everything you need is in walking distance. It's super safe and there are plenty of metro/bus stations nearby.

3. Academic life at host university

The campus for law and business students is located in the center of Madrid and therefore super easy accessible. The main building differs a lot from WU since it's an old building and way smaller. I really liked the difference. There is a small outdoor area to spend the breaks or to study and they have a very nice cafeteria with fair prices, would recommend the daily menus! Anyways there is not a lot of space to study, also not in the library, so I barely went there to study. But there are many nice cafes around where I always went when I had to do some stuff for uni. The classes were similar to the ones at home. Many of the professors wanted the students to participate and also attendance was usually mandatory. Luckily for me, most of the teachers I took courses with didn't really care about the mandatory attendance so I could also miss classes. But that really depends on the teacher. The workload throughout the semester was less than at WU, while there still were some things to do like essays, midterms or presentations. Overall, the courses felt easier to pass than at home.

5. Every day life in the host country

Life in Madrid was amazing! The city is super vibrant and there is something going on every day of the week. People are sitting around on the streets in cafes or bars and enjoying the weather literally everywhere. In general the bar and club scene is super advanced and there are so many places to go, that it's impossible to see all of them. Cafes, bars and supermarkets are also much cheaper than in Austria most of the times. One thing I really liked is that in Spain everything is set back for a couple of hours. The weather was incredible until mid november. After that it got a bit colder and rained more often but it still was okay (in winter it can still get very cold). With the public transport card you can go around Madrid and beyond for 10€/month. The city is super well connected and even very walkable in the central parts. Even when walking at night I never felt unsafe. If you like sports, padel is the thing to do! The courts are everywhere and it's extremely cheap as well. The university also has a football, futsal and rugby team but once you got in, you have to go to training multiple times a week. The central location of Madrid in Spain also makes it perfect for weekend trips all over the country or to Morocco.

6. Testimonial

The exchange semester was one of the best things I ever experienced. The journey from going abroad by myself to settling down in a new country, making new friends and now being able to call that place a second home was just incredible. I made great memories and friends that will definitely stick to me for a long time and therefore I would strongly recommend taking the chance when possible.